Ariana Grande Channels Madonna For ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Return: Video – Hollywood Life
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Ariana Grande teased her return to RuPaul’s Drag Race, and she channeled another pop icon while doing it! In a video posted on Wednesday, Dec. 14, the “Break Free” singer rocked a bedazzled cone bra ala Madonna and her iconic Jean Paul Gaultier-designed concert attire for her 1990 Blonde Ambition world tour. According to the clip (below), Ariana, who previously sat on the judges’ panel during Season 7, will be the special guest judge for the Season 15 premiere come January 6.
In the teaser, the Scream Queens alum appears on a stage wearing the black cone bra, a long skirt with a lengthy slit and a set of designer pumps. Rocking her signature high ponytail, Ariana stopped to blow a kiss at the camera as a voice-over announced the star’s return to the drag queen extravaganza. The “7 Rings” hitmaker added, “Season 15 is here, and so am I.”
Just a day before the teaser dropped, MTV, who is broadcasting the show for the first time after it ran on VH1 for the last 6 seasons, announced the show would feature its biggest cast ever at 16. The first nine seasons were part of Logo’s stable. Also, the prize money has now been doubled, making the lucky winner $200,000 richer. And MTV will now be the new home of RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked, which shows deleted scenes and unaired conversations.
When Madonna debuted her conical undergarments on the opening night of her Blonde Ambition tour in Chiba, Japan, it was the talk of the town until it simply became legendary. A year after the collection was worn by the Material Girl, Gaultier commented on how it all came to light. “When Madonna first called me in 1989, it was two days before my ready-to-wear show, and I thought my assistant was joking,” he told The New York Times in 2001. “I was a big fan. She knew what she wanted—a pinstripe suit, the feminine corsetry. Madonna likes my clothes because they combine the masculine and the feminine.”
RuPaul’s Drag Race season 15 premieres on MTV Friday, Jan. 6, at 8 p.m. ET.
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